


A Garden for Peixes

by SburbanMom



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, F/F, Highschool AU, Les8ifins, except jadefef you better bet i'm gonna ship the FUCK outta jadefef, happy ending tho i promise, probably some mild sadstuck, the condesce is betty crocker, trying to keep my ships outta this, witch children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-09-26
Packaged: 2018-01-24 06:17:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1594643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SburbanMom/pseuds/SburbanMom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you move somewhere new, it's alien, it's weird, it's really difficult to adjust. Everyone knows each other and you're stuck with nobody to talk to. Your sister is your best friend, but now that she's in college and your mom is working as hard as she can to keep the Betty Crocker company in check, you're alone and all you've got is a stupid cracked swimming pool and a couple new friends.<br/>Your name is Feferi Peixes, and you're really lonely.</p><p>On indefinite hiatus since I really don't like the way I characterized everyone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ==> Make Some Friends.

Feferi didn’t like this new pool. At all. The water was cold, the bottom was rough, the paint was peeling, the tiles cracked. The general swimming area was in a state of chlorinated disrepair. She’d talked with her mother on the subject, but Candy’d had nothing to say but a head nod and a glare. “Fef, dear, Mommy’s busy right now. Come talk to me in a bit.”

This new town, everything about it was alien. Everyone was quiet, reserved, a strange contrast to the bustling life she’d had in the city. It was often gloomy and dark, and she preferred to sleep, rather than waste her time with the shoddy residents of the town. She’d made one friend, another swimmer, Eridan. He was a strange fellow, with an accent she couldn’t place that caused his to stutter his w’s. He too was a transfer, but from somewhere off the coast of India. They swam together almost every day, racing each other.  
Feferi was on the chubbier side, but it was more a lateral illusion than anything. She had powerful limbs that propelled her through the water and helped her swim. Eridan always joked that she looked like a sea princess with her hair gliding out behind her in dark waves. She always thought he sort of reminded her of a seahorse, he bent his legs while treading water and wore his hair slicked into a ridiculous pouf. Together, swimming was a great exercise, and they became good friends.

Feferi had never been in highschool. The middle school in her old town had gone right up to 9th grade. She had always assumed it wouldn’t be much of a change, same schedule, just a slightly different way of working. She’d called up her old friend Aradia and they’d chatted, talking jubilantly about how excited they were for school. Aradia had been excited for the highschool’s history club, and she’d gone on for an hour and a half before Feferi managed to get a word in edgewise. There was still a seed, however small, a tiny seed that longed to be back home with her friends again.  
The school was a simple brick building, aging like a cheese ripened the wrong way. Where in the age should’ve been endearing, prideful, it was instead crumbled, propped up in the wrong ways with patchwork brick and stone and cheaply made supports that screamed “they said temporary, they meant permanent”.  
The halls were painfully crowded as she managed to squeeze her way to history, her lamentable first period class. She took a seat near the middle, behind Eridan.  
"Psst, Eridan! Hey! It's me, Feferi!" She giggled. "I didn't know we had this together!"  
He turned, a surprised look on his face. "Oh, hey Fef. W-what's up? W-we hawen't been sw-wimming in forewer."  
"It's only been a couple weeks, silly. But yeah, we need to start hanging out more. You think you could give me a look around the school later?"  
"W-well sure, I mean, I'we only been here for a year, but I'll do my best." He shrugged and pushed his glasses back up his nose.  
"Thanks! Also, I was-"  
"Hello, class!"  
The class quieted as the teacher entered, arms laden with textbooks. She had soft blonde hair that looked slightly unbrushed, with big blue eyes that peeked from underneath white-framed spectacles. Her dress was a sensible blue frock, like something a kindergarten teacher might wear. "I'm Ms. Serket, I'll be working with this history class from now on. It's great to meet you all, and Vriska, I see you're here."  
"Thanks for the memo, 'Ranea." The blonde a few seats from Feferi spat.  
"Don't be rude. Anyways, I'll be passing out the syllabus and explaining the rules."  
"Careful. She's a gabber." The girl next to Feferi said to nobody in particular.  
"What do you mean?" She asked quietly, glancing at her. The girl turned to face her.  
"Aranea Serket, she's my friend Vriska's older sister. She doesn't understand the meaning of the words 'shut up'." She grinned slightly. "I'm Terezi, by the way."  
"Feferi." She nodded, holding a hand out. The girl nodded. "Nice to meet you, Feferi." She turned to face forward, ignoring the hand. The boy behind her leaned forward.  
"She's blind, Feferi. She can't see that."  
"Oh, shut up, Karkat, don't make the girl feel bad."  
Karkat gave Feferi an apologetic nod. "Sorry. Just a PSA."  
"Yes, because the whole goddamn world needs to know that Terezi Pyrope is hella blind. Thanks, Karkat."  
Feferi turned away and left the two to bicker, sighing as Ms. Serket handed her a syllabus. "Thanks." She mumbled, scanning the page quietly. Homework policies, various other things. At the bottom was a cute doodle of a spider holding a pencil that said 'Good luck!' She tucked the syllabus into her folder and rested her head on the desk, ponytail falling into strands around her.  
The lesson was long and tedious, consistent solely on taking notes from Ms. Serket's monotonous lecture. Feferi doodled cuttlefish in the margins of her notebook, adorable little tentacles curling around the lines, their cute little eyes peering up at her. As soon as the bell rang, she gathered her things and stood. Karkat was helping Terezi up and out the door, while she protested loudly before promptly running into a wall. Feferi snickered a bit, following after them and out into the hall to her locker. She exchanged her books and headed off to gym.  
Gym was a relatively slow class, they ran laps and worked in the weight room. Feferi was paired with a shrimpy boy, John Egbert, who despite his tiny arms and slightly pudgy stomach, worked hard to lift as much as he could. She cheered him on, and by the end of their workout, they had become friends. He revealed that he was trying to work out so he could impress someone, and Feferi giggled a bit at the prospect, wishing him luck. They parted ways and Feferi headed to Biology.  
By the time she found the room, it was already packed. She sat down in the back, next to a well-tanned girl with chocolatey brown hair. The girl had huge round glasses on, and buck teeth that ever so slightly protruded from her lips. Feferi sat and cleared her throat, the girl glancing to look at her and smiling. "Hi." She mumbled, hands knitting together as Feferi sat. Feferi nodded at her and sat herself down, pushing her books to the edge of the table. The girl seemed discouraged by Feferi's lack of a greeting, shifting awkwardly in her seat. "So... Erm, sorry, I think these are our permanent seats, so we're lab partners."  
Feferi looked the girl over. "Oh, you think? That sounds cool. I'm Feferi. Feferi Peixes."  
"Jade Harley." She extended a hand to shake, and Feferi took it, not ready for the bone-crushing grip that followed. Girl was skinny, but strong. She tugged her hand away from the vice, noticing the tiny colored strings tied around the girl's fingers. "What are those?"  
"Oh, just some reminders. This one's so I don't forget to pick up dog food, and this one's so I remember to clean my rifle before dinner tonight." She shrugged. "Makes things a lot easier."  
"You hunt?" Feferi cocked an eyebrow.  
"No, not really. My grandpa's kind of an avid adventurer, and where I live, it's dangerous. 'Gotta have your gun, Jade, there's monsters!' Then he does his dumb little pistol-wink thing and runs off." She was more or less mumbling to herself, picking at her nails. "Sorry. I go off on tangents occasionally. What about you, Feferi?"  
Fef shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, I like swimming, I guess."  
"Really? You know, there's a perfect lake for swimming over by my place. Someday you should come see. It's really warm and clear." She grinned, buck teeth sticking out slightly. Feferi looked closer and noticed she had braces.  
"That sounds nice." She pondered the thought, and, in liking what she imagined, smiled. "I'll have to join you someday."  
The teacher was a stern-looking man that everyone was ordered to call Jack. He didn't seem to want to let anyone know about his real name, or the story behind the scar on his right eye. As he handed out bold-faced syllabi, Feferi glanced up at him for a brief moment. He was old, not hideously old but old enough to be her mom's big brother or something. As the class continued, he made offhanded comments about how they never told him he'd have to teach kids, the little brats. She shuffled in her seat until the bell rang, bidding adieu to Jade and fleeing to her locker. She tugged out her cell phone and tapped out a text to Meenah.  
first day is AW-ESOM-E! miss you and mom, can't wait to catc)( up w)(en I get )(ome! 8}  
She hit send and shoved her cell back in her backpack before dashing off to English.  
The day ended at some point in the monotonous stretch of hours, and she dashed home from her bus stop to talk to Meenah and her mom about her first day.  
She opened the door to find two notes hanging from the stair banister, both written in the obnoxious pink gel pen that mom loved so much.  
Sure enough, the first read 'Feffy, did ur laundry, put it away for me, and make dinner. I'm out at a thing, I'll be back eventually. Biya, Mom. <3'  
She shrugged with a sigh and picked up the second.  
'Yo, Fef, I'm out with someone tonight, I got ur text and it's super awesome that you had a good day. As much as I love ya, don't call me during this thing, I wanna make a good first impression. Luv ya, Mee~'  
She slammed the notes onto the kitchen counter, turning to open the fridge and pulling out a tray of sushi. She ate it with a glare, somewhat upset by her family's absence. She guessed it was a pretty normal occurrence, with her mom missing so often, and with Meenah's new life added in. But that didn't change the fact that she was lonely.  
The doorbell rang at about half past five, as Feferi was idly scrolling through Netflix titles trying to find something worth watching.  
She pulled the heavy oak door open to find Eridan standing there, scratching at the back of his head. He was wearing his old indigo scarf, wrapped in numerous layers across his shoulders over his droopy black sweater. "Heya, Fef. Listen, I heard your sister w-was out, I figured maybe you'd w-want some company."  
"Oh, yeah. Hey, if you want, I certainly wouldn't mind." She held the door open for him and he stepped in. "Nice house." He glanced at the vaulted ceiling and impeccable cleanliness.  
"Yeah, it's kinda swanky, I guess." She shrugged. "I think it's a little gaudy. I liked my old house a lot better, back where my stepdad lived. Mom said we couldn't be around him because 'he cared more about my stepsister and stepbrother'. I liked them though, I thought they were nice." She shrugged. "Anyways, sorry to weigh on you with that. Thanks for coming over."  
"Yeah, s'no problem." He shrugged and ran a hand back through his hair. "Hey, you w-watchin' Netflix?"  
"Yeah, why?" She cocked an eyebrow. "You know any good movies or anything?"  
"Mowies, no. You into anime?"  
"Not really."  
"You got a problem w-with blood and gore?"  
"Nope."  
He grinned. "I'm gonna show you Attack on Titan."  
A few hours later, Feferi was sobbing violently into a throw pillow, mascara streaming down her face and forming petal-shaped crescents of greyish tinge under her eyes.  
"But... But, Marco, and Jean... And..." She burst into tears again, face burying itself back into the itchy fabric of the ornamental headrest.  
Eridan was sobbing at this point as well, given not as profusely as Feferi, but still sobbing. "W-we... Should w-watch something that's a little happier now-w..."  
Feferi nodded and Eridan quickly switched on The Avengers. Alas, it was late, and it wasn't long before the two kids had slumped down, fast asleep.  
They were awoken by the sound of voices.  
"Sorry, Miss Peixes, I'm here to get my son. He left earlier saying he was headed over here, but he hasn't returned. I was hoping you could enlighten me?"  
"Oh, yeah, sorry. What was your name again?"  
"Orpheus. Orpheus Ampora."  
"Alright, Orpheus, or whatever. Yo, Fef? You seen that Erik kid?"  
"Eridan."  
"Sorry, Eridan?"  
Feferi yawned, standing to shake Eridan awake. "Eridan, hey, your dad's here."  
"Hm?"  
"It's like 11:00, your dad is looking for you."  
"Oh, SHIT!" He bolted upwards and into the hall, adjusting his hair and tugging at his scarf. "D-Dad, uh, sorry, I didn't- I fell asleep, on accident, I'm sorry. The mowie w-was just really soothing, I didn't..."  
"Calm down, son." Orpheus replied, hard faced. He had a hint of Eridan's stuttering wave, making him sound almost southern. "Your brother is in the car. Go join him, would you? I'd like to have a word with Miss Peixes."  
Eridan nodded, waving solemnly to Feferi as he exited to the car. There was the sound of distant arguing and car doors slamming, and Feferi rubbed her arm in shame. "Sorry, mom."  
"Oh, Jesus, honey, no. You've got no reason to apologize." She laughed, the gentle laugh she only used around Feferi and Meenah. "Honest mistake, Hun, don't fret." She turned back to Orpheus, bitchface in full swing. "Now listen, Orpheus, I got half a mind to tell you off here for thinkin' it's my baby's fault for your son bein' gone. He showed up here on his own damn will, I'm expecting him to leave on it too. Now, get your fancy suit and tie outta my house before I call the fuzz, you got that?"  
Orpheus was speechless, glaring as he left. Feferi sighed and watched the Ampora's car glide away. Her mom humphed and shut the door. "Listen, baby, I'm sorry about your friend. That dude is a straight-up asshat, darlin', why don't we make some cookies to cheer you up? I bought pink frosting, too."  
Feferi smiled a little. "Yeah, that'd be really nice. Thanks, momma."  
"No problem, sweetie."


	2. ==> Become One of Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You think you're starting to get the hang of your new life, but your old one is still coming back to bite you in the butt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm just throwing all the characters under the bus here. Sorry guys. I have a mind map that I have to follow. Probably not gonna have a whole lot of cemented jadefef until later. Slooooooow build.

After a night of making Betty Crocker brand cookies with her mother, Feferi was tired. Really tired. She yawned and glanced at the clock. 1 am. Not bad. She flopped into bed and tugged the covers to her chin. As she lie trying to fall asleep, she heard the door close downstairs, and Meenah's shrill voice.   
“Mom, did you seriously leave Fef alone? Because that’s what I heard happened, and lemme tell you, that was a dick move. I told you I was going out.”  
“Yes, you did, and with one of her new teachers too. What kinda sister hits on her baby sister’s history teacher?”  
“She’s hot, alright? Chick’s a doll, too. You don’t have to yell at me for it.”  
“Fef ended up getting her friend in trouble, Meenah. It’s 1am and I’ve been making cookies for like, three hours. Don’t tell me who should’ve been home.”  
“Lemme lone, mom. I’m on a love high, don’t spoil this shit.”  
“You get laid?”  
“Of course not, ma, I’m a lady.”  
“Good girl.”  
Feferi settled in to sleep, the words barely processing that her sister had just been on a date with Ms. Serket.  
The next day at school, she was utterly exhausted. Eridan was absent, and Terezi and Karkat had settled into a gentle lulling back-and-forth. Ms. Serket droned on about how the homework schedule would work. She felt almost lonely, as though the monotony that existed within her life was overtaking. She hoped something would break the already sinking-in schedule.  
That something was Jade Harley.  
The minute Feferi sat down, she knew something was weird. Jade had a goofy grin on her face, and a bucket sat in front of her.   
“What’s that?” Feferi questioned, peering at her in curiousity.  
“Flowers. I’m bringing them to horticulture club today, I’ve been breeding them in my Grandpa’s greenhouse since I was little. Wanna see?”   
Feferi nodded, leaning over as Jade pulled the blankets off. Feferi gasped. “Jade, oh my god. Those are so…”  
“Incredible? Amazing? Beautiful?” Jade was bouncing in her seat as Feferi marveled at the flowers. They were a bright shade of purple, with flowery tiers that bloomed upwards.  
“I’ve also bred their autoimmune systems to the point of being completely immune to common viruses. They can stay alive in the most extreme temperatures, and withstand high windspeeds and even typhoons! Do you understand how great these are?” She grabbed Feferi’s arm, causing her to jump. She’d forgotten the girl’s legendary death grip. “My grandpa said he’d try and help me breed them to crops, so we could use them in climates that don’t normally accept them.” She grinned earnestly. Feferi was baffled. “Wait a second, you’re a sophomore in High School, and you’ve bred super-flowers that could solve world hunger. I’m confused. Why aren’t you like, head of MENSA or something?”  
“No social skills.” She shrugged. “I’ve been homeschooled since I was four. Besides, you don’t make friends when you shut yourself away! I came here because my friend Rose said I should.”  
“Really? I’d think you’d like something where you could learn in peace a little bit better, honestly.”   
“Nope! I like it here. There’s more people. And we’re friends, right? Imagine if that hadn’t happened!” She giggled. “We… We are friends, right?”  
“Yeah, sure.” Feferi shrugged. She hadn’t considered Jade as a friend, more as a casual acquaintance. But now that the subject had arisen, she figured it was a perfectly viable term for the girl.  
Jade looked almost disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm in Feferi’s voice. “We don’t have to be friends, y’know. Sorry, I can be a little bit overbearing, I think.”  
“Jade, don’t worry, it’s fine. We can be friends.” She nodded with a weak smile. She wasn’t annoyed so much as tired out, but Jade seemed to take it otherwise, as she took her flowers with a weak nod and poked at the petals idly. Feferi was too tired to really worry, so she turned again to the front of the room, where Mr. Slick was giving a cuss-laced sermon on the importance of studying. She caught Jade falling to rest face down on the table from the corner of her eye, and she suddenly felt really bad for having seemed so disinterested. However, it wasn’t long before the bell rang, and Jade stood quickly and marched off, leaving Feferi alone.  
As Feferi climbed off the bus, she noticed an extra car in her driveway, a red convertible. Her heart skipped a beat. Please, don’t be another one of mom’s boyfriends, please.  
She trudged into the house warily, hanging her coat up, her posture well poised, her hair smoothed back neatly. She hated mom’s boyfriends. When mom had them over, she was a certified bitch. “Mom? Meenah? I’m home.”  
She made her way into the living room and turned on the lights. When her vision adjusted she screamed.  
“MEENAH???”  
Her sister sat up quickly, a bright shade of red. “Feferi! Jesus, what are you doing here, don’t you have practice or something?!”  
Lying beneath Meenah, dress half off her arms, was Ms. Serket. She too, was pale, blushing and hiding her face.  
“I’ll- I’ll um, leave you two… Oh my gosh…” She scurried out, slamming the door closed. She was shaking profusely and she rubbed her hair back. Oh my god. Her sister was banging her history teacher. Oh my god.  
She dashed to her room and snapped her fairy lights on, staring into her aquarium in a nearly futile attempt to calm herself down. Her assorted cuttlefish swam around easily, their tiny tentacles flopping happily. She stared at them and lost herself in the fluidity, her breathing slowing back down as she flopped back into her desk chair. As she laid trying to forget, her phone buzzed. She gratefully picked up. Sollux? Damn, she hadn’t talked to that kid since middle school.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi, Feferi. It’th Thollux.”  
She giggled. She’d forgotten the boy’s prominent lisp. “Hi, Sollux.”  
“Lithen, Fef, I know we haven’t talked thince like, middle thcool, but I was wondering if you thtill knew Nepeta. You remember, catgirl?”  
“Oh! Yeah, of course!”  
“Alright. Well, okay, tho I acthidentally got her crathy thweaty horthe friend on my back becauthe I thaid thomething about liking Aradia, and he flipped hith shit. Can you talk to Nep and get her to talk him down? I’m kinda hiding in a broom clothet in the athleticth hallway.”  
She giggled, flopping backwards on her bed, pink nails drumming against the back of her phone case. “I’ll talk to her! Don’t worry, Sollux, we’ll get you out of there.”  
“Fuck. Thankth, I think he heard me. Gotta go, talk to you later.”  
There was a beep as the line went dead and Feferi considered the morbidity of the situation. Despite his hushed tone and panic, she missed the sound of his voice. It’d been far too long since they’d last talked.  
She tapped through her contacts until she found Nepeta’s number, surrounded by cat emojis and written in a bold green. She tapped the contact and held the phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone before Nepeta’s cheery voice picked up on the other end. “Hellooo?”  
“Nepeta? Hey! It’s Feferi.”  
“Oh, hiya Feferi!” She giggled. “How are ya?”  
“Good, I’m good. Hey, you still go to school with Sollux, right?”  
“Mmhm, yes ma’am! We miss you over here, you know!”  
“Aw, I miss you guys too! Hey, listen, I need a favor.”  
“What can I do furrrrr you?” Feferi giggled at the cat pun. She’d forgotten Nepeta’s love of cats, a thought which worried her. Was she really forgetting about her old friends so soon?  
“Equius is kinda freaking out at Sollux, because Sollux mentioned that he like Aradia, soooo…”  
“Oh, no!” Nepeta gasped. “Where are they? I’m at tennis, but I think if I run, I can do something…”  
“Athletics hallway, Sollux said he’s in a broom closet.”  
“I know where that is! I’ll be there in a jiffy. Thanks, Fefpurri!”  
“No problem, Nepeta! Bye!”  
She clicked her phone off, the seed of longing for her old friends blossoming in her chest.  
When she worked up the courage to make her way back downstairs, she found Meenah sitting alone, glumly staring at a plate of cake, a forkfull dangling idly in front of her mouth. “Hiya, Fef.”  
“Meenah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”  
“Fef, hey, it’s alright. Don’t sweat it.” She poked at the cake with a weak smile. “‘Ranea told me it was a bad idea anyways.”  
Feferi sat in the seat across from Meenah, sighing and resting her head in her hands. “Maybe we should come up with a code.”  
“A code?”  
“Yeah. So maybe that way we won’t accidentally fuck up each other’s lives. It’ll be fun!”  
Meenah cocked an eyebrow, straightening up a bit. “You got my attention.”  
Feferi giggled. “You can text me one dash if you’ve got a date and you’ll still be avaliable to text, two dashes if you’ve got one and you can’t, and three if I need to go to Eridan’s to avoid any unpleasant stuff.”  
Meenah nodded. “Lil sis, gotta give you some credit, that ain’t bad. I like it.” She ruffled her hair with a tiny smirk.  
As Feferi patted it back down, she looked at Meenah earnestly. “Are you… are you and Mrs. S still okay?”  
Meenah shrugged, the dark look coming once again over her face. “I’m not sure. She just sort of freaked out and ran. If she’s done, I guess that’s alright. I mean…” Her voice wavered painfully as she gripped the fork tighter. “I think I might actually like her, though, Fef, what am I gonna do?”  
Feferi bit her lip, suddenly feeling terrible having interrupted Meenah and possibly having destroyed her shot at love. “Meenah, um, you’re still going to parent teacher conferences, aren’t you?”  
Meenah groaned. “Oh my god. That’s the last thing I want to do at this point.”  
“Meenah, you have to talk to her. Even if it’s just to apologize, or to figure out where you stand. I’ll apoogize, in class, I promise!”  
Meenah groaned and pushed her cake aside, standing. “Fef, listen, you don’t gotta do jack shit. This is my problem, not yours.”  
Feferi sighed and rubbed at her arm. “Whatever the case, I hope everything turns out alright. Let me know if I can do anything.”  
“Gotcha, baby doll. I think I just need to go for a little drive. Call up Lat and Maryam for a little time away.”  
“Lat?”  
“Yeah. You’re not the only one makin’ new friends, Feffy.” She smirked as she pulled on her hoodie and kissed Feferi’s forehead, making her exit as her loose braids flopped against the back of her sweater.


	3. ==> Be responsible.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feferi doesn't mean to mess up some things. They just get messed up.

The next day was Friday, sweet, blissful Friday, and there was a heavy lilt to Feferi’s step as she made her way to history. She was gonna talk to Ms. Serket and get this all figured out.  
She sat at her desk, hanging her pink bag on the seat back. Eridan was back, but he looked sick as a dog. His hair was frizzy and unkempt, and he had bags beneath his eyes that stood out prominently against his caramelly skin tone. As he ran a shaking hand through his hair, Feferi noticed a bruise on his wrist.  
“Eridan?”  
He turned, startled, the look of a deer in the headlights flashing across his face. “Oh, uh, yeah, Fef?”  
“What’s that on your wrist?”  
His face fell ever so slightly as he subconsciously tugged his sleeve over the marking. “It’s nothing big. Just fell and hit it the other day.”  
Feferi sensed his reluctance and wanted to pry, but he turned around once more and huddled into his scarf. She awkwardly turned again to her desk before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Once more, she looked up, but this time into the big blue eyes of Vriska Serket.  
“Peixes! I need info.” She hissed as she spoke, glancing around for eavesdroppers. “So, your trash sis is dating my Gabby Gums. Spill. Why’s ‘Ranea in such a fit?”  
“Fit?” Feferi knitted her eyebrows. “Is Aranea upset?”  
“She hasn’t said anything to anyone since she came home from that date with Meenah.” Vriska explained, crossing her arms and standing up straight. “Went to wake her up this morning and she punched me in the face. Don’t get me wrong, like, I’m proud of her, she’s never done that, but something’s really off.”  
Feferi looked at her oddly, but sighed. “Well, I was… I was coming home from school, and I walked in on them… in the living room. Doing… things.” At Vriska’s look of alarm, she waved her hands frantically. “No, no, they weren’t like, naked or anything. Anyways, Meenah got really scared, and Aranea looked… Humiliated.” She bit her lip, staring down at her desk. Vriska sighed, waving it off. “Aranea can be really overdramatic sometimes. She’s probably just worried because she’s still a total virgin. I’d probably be scared outta my panties too.” She shrugged as the bell rang, patting Feferi’s back. “Just don’t sweat it. I have a feeling this is gonna work out alright.” As Vriska returned to her seat, a substitute walked in, a tall, pale man with silvery blonde hair and dark green eyes. He wore a crisp white suit over a green shirt, the whole ensemble making him look strange and a little frightening.  
“Hello, class.”  
Feferi saw Terezi tense out of the corner of her eye, watching as the girl began to shake, eyes widening. Karkat placed a protective hand on her shoulder, scowling up to the substitute. Vriska went pale, beginning to shake as well. Feferi realized that a good portion of the class was flipping their shit at this point some kids sitting up straighter, others sinking down, some going so far as to hide behind their books. Feferi tapped Eridan’s shoulder. “Eridan, psst. Why’s everyone so-”  
“MISS Peixes.”  
She stared at him with a look of shock. “Wait, how do you…”  
“I happen to know your mother quite well. I think you’d do well to respect me, and that means, no talking.”  
She stood with a scowl. “Oh, yeah? Who the hell do you think you are, Mr. Vanilla Milkshake?”  
“My name is Dr. Scratch. Now, Peixes, sit down before the Crocker stocks take an unexpected plummet.” He spoke each word cooly, but they were filled with malice, brimming with venom. Feferi felt her skin go cold. Whoever this guy was, whatever his connections were, he wasn’t just dangerous, he was strong enough to take down the Betty Crocker corporation in one fell swoop. She did as she was told, taking a seat and swallowing. Once he’d returned to teaching, Feferi shot a very nervous text message her mother’s way.  
“our substitute today is a guy named doctor scratc)(. sounds like bad news.”  
The response was almost instantaneous. “you listen to me rig)(t now feffy if you piss t)(at guy off you’re grounded for life, you’re damn rig)(t )(e’s bed news. tread lig)(tly.”  
Feferi looked back up at the man, his very visage sending a chill down her spine. She put away her phone and held her pencil tightly.  
The end of class came all too late for her liking. She rushed to PE quickly, so as to avoid a confrontation with the man. Once there and in her uniform, she stood in line to prepare for warmups. The gym teacher was a bulky guy with a cocky grin and coolly dark brown spiked hair. He looked to be of spanish descent, and managed to pull off the school’s red gym shorts with ease. Mr. Nitram, she thought, that was his name. She was almost certain he had a son in the school.  
“Alright, class! Pretests for this year, we’re gonna need to kick you all off with a mile of running.”  
There was a collective groan and he laughed. “Sorry, boys and girls, that’s just how it is. Can’t fight the state.”  
John sidled up next to Feferi with a cheery smile. “Heya, Fef! So, hey, the mile, am I right? Gross.”  
Feferi nodded and fixed her hair into a ponytail, shooting a grin in John’s direction. “You wanna skip with me? We can hide behind the bleachers!”  
John shook his head. “I’ve gotta get better at running. I want to start jogging in the mornings, to work on my endurance and stuff.”  
Feferi gave him a curious smirk. “Oh? What’s prompting you to do that?”  
John shrugged a bit but smiled down at his feet. “Oh, you know. Just trying to be a better athlete, or whatever.”  
Fef didn’t pry, but she elbowed him a little and hissed “Go get ‘em, tiger.”  
Coach Nitram licked his lips and pressed the whistle into his mouth, sucking in a breath and blowing. The kids took off in a fast shuffle of sweaty bodies.  
Feferi was farther ahead, thanks to the strength in her legs and the capacity of her lungs. As she passed by one of the gym doors, she heard one of the boys shout something.  
“Run, fatty! Cheeseburger’s on the other side!”  
Fef felt her heart sink into her stomach as she gritted her teeth. What would Meenah say? Meenah always knew what to do.  
“Hey, fuck off! You wish you had curves like that!”  
She looked behind her curiously to see a blonde girl with lanky legs and tan skin jogging behind her. Her eyeliner was sharp and piercing, and her lips were a dark magenta. She flipped off the boys and they whistled. With an eye roll, she ran to catch up to Fef.  
“You okay there, cutie patootie?” The girl asked, staring at Feferi with eyes so pink she swore they had to be color contacts.  
“Oh, me? No, I’m fine. You didn’t have to stand up for me back there.” She looked up at her with a thankful smile.  
The girl shrugged and smiled back. “Nah! Don’t let the assholes win, hon. What’s your name?”  
Feferi took a second to remember. “Oh. Feferi.”  
“Hiya Feferi. I’m Roxy.”  
Roxy looked much older than her, a much more mature figure. She was also wearing the senior uniform.  
“You’re a senior?” Fef questioned. Roxy nodded. “Probs not mature enough to be a senior, but ehhhhh.” She wiggled her hand a bit. The two of them rounded the bend, breathing with some difficulty.  
“Whoo. I haven’t run this hard since… forever, probably!” Roxy wiped the sweat from her forehead. “You a sophomore?”  
Fef nodded, tugging on her green shirt. She resented the christmassy clash of the shorts and the shirt, wishing more for the classy grey of the seniors, of even the freshman black.  
“My sister’s a freshman.” Roxy said, nodding her head. Her platinum blonde hair swung gracefully as she moved. “Have you met Rose LaLonde?”  
“The name sounds… familiar.” Feferi said. “I don’t know! I’ve never met her. Sorry.”  
“That’s alright!” Roxy returned. “If you do meet her, tell her her big sissy says hey.”  
Feferi smiled and nodded as she ran past coach Nitram. “Your time’s 8:43! That’s a B!”  
As Fef slowed, she waved goodbye to Roxy and rejoined her own group. John came in about two minutes later, breathing hard and leaning on Feferi for support. “I… I got… ten minutes… fifty seconds… that’s… that’s a d…”  
Feferi patted his back reassuringly. “Hey, don’t fret! You’ll get better, right? That’s the idea!”  
John nodded unconvincingly, pulling his glasses off and wiping them off. “I just… want… I just want to be stronger…”  
Feferi sighed. “Hey, listen. John. I’m not exactly an expert on love, okay? But if this person you’re after is worth it, they’re not gonna give two ships over whether or not you can run a mile in nine minutes.”  
John sighed a little as the bell rang, and Feferi could tell he wasn’t buying it. The two split to change in their respective locker rooms.  
As Feferi was leaving, she noticed a familiar cloud of messy black hair. Jade? But this was the freshman period…  
She stared a bit in awe at the back muscles of the girl. It wasn’t just that she was well toned, it was that she had a legitimately good figure. She was sure now that it was Jade, as she turned, she caught the glint of her glasses, those slightly protruding front teeth. Feferi suddenly felt a bit self conscious, rushing out of the room. She sucked in her stomach and cheeks best she could as she headed to her next period.


	4. ==> Be green with envy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feferi comes to the realization that Jade Harley is a goddess.

Feferi was sure to get to biology early, sitting in her seat and staring at the lab equipment. There was a little green piece of yarn hanging from one of the beakers. Feferi picked it up, assuming it was Jade’s. She twirled it a bit between her fingers, thinking a little bit about the girl. She was really so pretty. Feferi looked down at her own body, between the chub, the annoyingly large breasts that hurt her back and never did what they were supposed to do, the ratty sun-soaked hair, the spattering of dark freckles across her not-as-tan-as-Meenah skin. She breathed out a sigh and threw the string across the table just as she heard her voice.  
“Afternoon, Feferi!”  
Jade seemed nonchalantly cheery, giving a passive smile to Feferi and sitting. Feferi glanced at the table sheepishly. She felt awkward looking at the girl with the gorgeous muscles and slim figure, when she herself was lumpy and unattractive.  
"Feferi, sorry, do you have the answer to number 8 on last night's homework?"  
Feferi looked up to Jade's beautiful green eyes. "Oh. Yeah, uh, yes." She dug through her bag until she found her homework sheet, slightly crumpled, and handed it to Jade. "That was a hard one, but I found it in one of the diagrams."  
"Oh! Okay, I see." Jade nodded, and a lock of hair fell in front of her face. Feferi noted that despite its outward appearance of shaggy and unkempt, Jade’s hair actually looked very soft and well-cared for. She didn’t study it long, as Jade copied down the answer in her swirling handwriting quickly, beaming up at Feferi. “Thanks! So, anyways, I was wondering if you might want to come over tomorrow? To my house, I mean. I was gonna have a sleepover with some friends, and I didn’t know if you’d be interested. We might be swimming down at the lake. My grandpa said he’d drive us.”   
“Didn’t you say the lake was on your property?”  
“It is! But it’s a bit of a drive.”  
“Alright.” Feferi nodded. “I think that’ll work great. I’ll see if my sister can give me a ride.”  
The jubilance on the other girl’s face was evident. “Oh, awesome! Here, lemme write down my address.” She scribbled down the location on a piece of paper, sliding it over. “It’s located inside a forest preserve, so it’s a bit of a drive, but I promise it’s nothing too cumbersome or whatever. I hope I see you!” Jade’s braces glinted a little bit in her buck toothed smile. Feferi noted that she had dimples, and the faintest dusting of freckles on her dark cheeks. It was an organic beauty that Feferi envied, suddenly worrying. She’d have to swim at Jade’s in a two piece.  
“I’ll be there.” She nodded.

On the way home, it rained like Feferi had never seen it rain before. She clutched her bookbag close to her as she dashed inside, hair puffy and soaked and pant legs sopping wet. The drenched girl stripped down to her undies and wandered into the kitchen, pulling out some books and beginning to work on her homework. Lightning burst through the sky outside, the bluish-grey atmosphere paddling at her window with relaxing drops of rain. She hardly noticed falling asleep on her geometry homework.  
When she woke up, the dull glow of the kitchen lights were the only source of ambience. When her eyes adjusted, she noticed that there was but a light drizzle outside, the sky a decadent pitch that leaked in and cast shadows everywhere. Meenah was on the phone, leaned against the counter, speaking in hushed tones.  
“...Ya said… No, no, okay, all business calls go directly to my… Listen, sir, it’s not my job to… Do you want her number or not?” The older Peixes seemed agitated as she prattled off their mom’s personal number to the person on the other line. With a curt farewell, she put the phone down. “Heya, Fef. Sorry if I woke ya. Why you working on homework? You’ve got the weekend.”  
Feferi yawned, smacking her lips and staring begrudginly down at the smudgy lipstick stain on her notebook paper. “Mmm… wanna go to a friend’s house tomorrow. Sleepover.”  
Meenah nodded once, a tiny smile playing over her lips. She pushed her glasses up. “I’ll give ya a ride. Did you talk to Ara- Miss Serket at all?”  
Feferi shook her head. “Weird substitute. Doctor Scratch.”  
Meenah tensed. “Doc SCRATCH? You tellin’ me you went head to head with mister white globe HIMSELF? Oh, Feferi, you better’ve watched your step.” Meenah was almost frantic, and Feferi woke up a little. “Why? Mom said he was bad, what’s wrong with ‘im?”  
Meenah sighed. “Alright, so ma runs Betty Crocker, yeah? BC’s a spin-off a some old company called English Industries. Only thing I know about them is they got two brats who gonna inherit the company, or one, at least. I think the girl deviated. Anyways, EI and BC have been goin’ head to head as long as anyone can remember. Doctor Scratch is the head honcho over at EI while the CEO’s away, doin’ god knows what corporate bullshit. English owns the world, Fef. Scratch likes to parade around ma, makin’ her look bad, tryin’ to find some way to bring her down. Let’s hope he hasn’t locked his little revenge target around you.” Meenah sighed. “Or ‘Ranea. Hope she’s okay.”  
“Vriska said she was fine.” Feferi assured her. “I think she was just a little embarrassed.”  
Meenah said nothing, only sighing. “It’s getting late, ginger snaps. You gotta get your sweet ass to bed.”  
“What about you?”  
“Me? Imma go have some conversations with my new friends.” She shrugged. “My new gillfrond, Lat, she’s hooked up with the big bro of that old captor friend of yours.”  
“Oh, you mean Mituna? That’s adorable! He was really weird though.”  
“He’s eight flavors a crazy.” Meenah shook her head. “But Lat and him get along well, so I’m not gonna judge.”  
Feferi nodded, yawning and getting to her feet. "Wish em well for me. M'goin to sleep."  
Meenah nodded as Feferi trudged upstairs, flopping into bed. Her fairy lights were set to blink, and her fish swam peacefully in circles. It wasn't long before she'd fallen asleep to the sound of a gentle drizzle outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter im a fuckin nerd


End file.
